Need Help Deciding Between Bikes

[erik425]

I sold a couple bikes and I am now going to buy an FJR. I wanted to by one when I bought my last one, but I gave in to peer pressure and bought a cruiser.

Here are the 2 I have narrowed it down to.

2003, 13,000 miles silver. Has brand new Road Pilot 3 tires, new top box that has never been mounted, heli risers, Corbin seat, stock seat, 3 windshields of varying heights, and an extra left OEM side bag (the one onit has a scratch). Also comes with a self locking tire chock. $5200

2004 with 24,000 miles silver, super clean bike. Has cab/intercom, some type of stereo attachment, handwarmers, newer tires, but not brand new like the 03.

Both bikes have service records and seem to be very well taken care of. I can't think of any reason not to buy the 03. Less miles, more accessories, less money. I have read about both bikes and there doesn't seem to be much difference. I would like a new bike, but want to try a sport tourer on the cheap before I buy one new and drop a bunch of dough. I figure if I love it I can sell it for almost what I bought it for and buy a new one.

I am buying one tomorrow, so if there is any advice out there, let me know.

Thanks,

E

 

[RadioHowie]

You didn't mention the '04's price, or if it's an ABS model, but $5200 is a bit high for a 10 year old bike, though that IS a bunch of desirable add-ons

The '04 has better brakes (even without ABS) and better suspension than an '03, but the '03 IS the quickest ever FJR, if that makes any difference. (I've got the best of both worlds...an '04 ABS with an '03 motor)

Go with your wallet.

 

[erik425]

Sorry, non ABS $6000 for the 04.

If the prices were equal I would lean toward the 04, but for $800 More, and 10,000 more miles I am thinking the 03 will do what I want. I didn't notice a difference in the suspension when I rode them, but neither were really tuned for me, I just rode them. I did make sure that rear shock was moving and not locked up. I think I read that was a problem.

 

[Mihalis fjr]

Both prices are high!For 5500$-6000$ you can find a ABS model!

For the 03/model you can find one for lower price than the 5200$!

I would try to find a 04/05/ABS model in the same price 5500-6000$!

Don't worry about the miles!These engines are rock solid..!Bulletproof..!Good luck!

 

[garyahouse]

Danger, danger !!!!! Don't bite! Big mistake.

You're new to our forum. Welcome aboard. Do yourself a favor. Get into the habit of listening to the advice you gain here. Not mine, necessarily, but more often than not, if you let the forum guide the decisions you make, you won't regret it. There's a lot of collective wisdom here. That said...

Don't buy either one. The 03 has the smaller brakes, and neither has what you need. You really want to get the ABS. What are ya gonna think when ya land in the hospital, and you find yourself wondering if you should have chosen a bike with ABS? Don't ignore this... it's the most important feature on the FJR. I bought a 5 year old FJR with ABS and only 3800 miles on it for 6500 just 3 years ago. I promise you that if ya wait just a week or two, the deal you want will come along. When/if it's time for you to sell, that ABS is a deal breaker for many prospective buyers. Also, all Gen 2 bikes have them. Another thought: Gen 2's are far more popular and there are far more used farkles for sale on this forum. That can save you big bucks as time goes on. Look for an 06 and pay the extra couple bucks. They're considered more valuable because of the multitude of improvements made that year. Plus you don't risk getting a "ticker." This doesn't show up sometimes till into the 20k miles range on affected Gen 1 bikes. Maybe consider a fly and drive? Weather's getting nice and you could have a great deal sitting in your garage by next week.

-- And don't be thinking about 10//20 k miles. FJR's are just getting broken in at that mileage. HOW IT'S BEEN MAINTAINED is everything. They run just as good with 100k miles on them. For the FJR, it more about who owned it, what kind of records do they have.

Just my humble O.

Gary

darksider #44

 

[wfooshee]

I bought my '03 for $5500 in 2007!!!

 

[Fly Bye]

Danger, danger !!!!! Don't bite! Big mistake.

You're new to our forum. Welcome aboard. Do yourself a favor. Get into the habit of listening to the advice you gain here. Not mine, necessarily, but more often than not, if you let the forum guide the decisions you make, you won't regret it. There's a lot of collective wisdom here. That said...

Don't buy either one. The 03 has the smaller brakes, and neither has what you need. You really want to get the ABS. What are ya gonna think when ya land in the hospital, and you find yourself wondering if you should have chosen a bike with ABS? Don't ignore this... it's the most important feature on the FJR. I bought a 5 year old FJR with ABS and only 3800 miles on it for 6500 just 3 years ago. I promise you that if ya wait just a week or two, the deal you want will come along. When/if it's time for you to sell, that ABS is a deal breaker for many prospective buyers. Also, all Gen 2 bikes have them. Another thought: Gen 2's are far more popular and there are far more used farkles for sale on this forum. That can save you big bucks as time goes on. Look for an 06 and pay the extra couple bucks. They're considered more valuable because of the multitude of improvements made that year. Plus you don't risk getting a "ticker." This doesn't show up sometimes till into the 20k miles range on affected Gen 1 bikes. Maybe consider a fly and drive? Weather's getting nice and you could have a great deal sitting in your garage by next week.

-- And don't be thinking about 10//20 k miles. FJR's are just getting broken in at that mileage. HOW IT'S BEEN MAINTAINED is everything. They run just as good with 100k miles on them. For the FJR, it more about who owned it, what kind of records do they have.

Just my humble O.

Gary

darksider #44

Excellent advice.

Be patient and find the right one.

 

[wheatonFJR]

Don't be in a hurry...if yer asking our advice.

...it seems like there are better deals out there. If you had asked our advice earlier, you wouldn't have been stuck with the cruiser...

j/k



...or not.

 

[RaYzerman19]

That mileage is nothing........ shop around for '05, '06, '07........ you'd be surprised what other deals are out there. Don't be in a hurry. Mostly everybody has their chosen bike by middle of June..... prices get cheaper then, summer bike sales are slower.

 

[Patriot]

miles on a Feej mean very little...proper maintenance means a lot more

personally, it's mandatory that my next Feej have ABS; the bike is very quick and very sneaky at how fast it can go unaware

ABS can easily save your life.

all '06 and newer come with ABS stock...not avail on '03, was an option for '04 & '05

personally, I wouldn't purchase either one...there's better out there fa sure

I assume you have noted the "For Sale" thread on this forum and the bikes listed

of course, how close to you a bike is available matters, but many do fly & rides for good reason

but, ultimately, go with your gut...these are all just personal opinions

I appreciate your post and having to make this decision...good luck

Ride Safe

Mike in Nawlins

 

[gixxerjasen]

Indeed, those are NOT good deals. Like you I passed on an FJR the first go round and went with a second FZ1. I kick myself now because it was an 04 with 40K on the odometer (not much for these bikes) for $4K. Lots of 4's there but yea, that was a good deal, these are NOT. Shop around a bit. Also remember that springtime (I suppose it's springtime up there, almost summer here) is a sellers market. Everybody is itching to get out and ride and willing to pay higher prices. We are just out of tax refund season though so prices should be coming down a bit. Shop around and don't blow your money on those.

Lemme guess though, those weren't private sellers, but dealers? Those prices are average I'd say for a dealer but you can find some private sellers out there with much better deals.

Oh yea, and do not fear the fly n buy!

 

[gixxerjasen]

For reference, from here...

2003 for $4500 that already sold - https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php/topic/152265-sold-2003-fjr-1300/

2003 also for $4500 - https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php/topic/152158-2003-fjr-in-springfield-missouri/

And for $200 more than the 2004 you are looking at you can have this sweet 06 - https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php/topic/151297-2006-fjr1300a-with-46k-miles-in-houston-tx-6200/

Buy a plane ticket and ride that last one home. Chalk it up to costs of a motorcycle trip and not the purchase of the bike. You ARE buying a bike to ride, right? That costs money so there you are, first trip on the big bike.

 

[SouthernCruizer]

my $.02 worth..I'd stay away from any 10 yr old bike with only 13K on it. The few times I've bought old bikes with super low miles I've had problems. They don't run enough to properly lubricate the rubber seal/gaskets, etc. I'd take a 5 or 6 yr old 50K bike any day over a 10 yr old 13K bike.

 

[900gc]

"Be patient and find the right one."

Absolutely. I wanted specifically an '08-'09 A. I searched nation wide for about 3 months and found one with $2300 worth of extras for the price that stock ones were going for.

Wait for more of the Gen 1 gurus to chime in before rushing into a purchase.

 

[Patriot]

SORRY, DOUBLE POST DELETED

 

[Hertz]

You might try cycletrader.com, although they are mostly dealers. I saw a couple '06's for around $6,500....one in Ohio, not too far from you.

 

[erik425]

Thanks for all of the advice. That is what I was looking for. Over the years I have had about 30 bikes and have never had ABS. I have crashed several bikes, ABS may have helped in one of them. The others were caused by cars and other bikes. I have ridden bikes that I have built with no rear suspension and only a rear drum brake, the brakes on any bike built since 1990 are awesome in comparison. I am sure that I would like having ABS, and may need it at some point, but due to the fact that we are in the process of selling our house I am trying to keep the cost down. In order to keep other toys and keep peace with the wife I am shooting for the $5500 range. With that being said, I have been watching the for sale section for several months and these are two of the bikes that caught my attention as appearing to be good deals.

2003 for $4500 that already sold - https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php/topic/152265-sold-2003-fjr-1300/

2003 also for $4500 - https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php/topic/152158-2003-fjr-in-springfield-missouri/

In my mind, I figured that a bike of the same year with less miles and more accessories (That I could keep or sell) would be worth the $500 extra.

I am not really into the fly and ride thing. I understand it and I have seen what looks like better deals that are just a plane ticket away, but right now I feel I just can't justify it.

I also understand the issues with old bikes with few miles. Just like people they have issues from being sedentary. i have rebuilt several old CB750's and have been through the nightmares of crappy carbs and disintegrated gaskets.

It seems like bikes within 250 miles of me are just higher than other places in the country. Generally the mileage is lower due to the fact that we only have a couple months of riding a year. It actually snowed last weekend a bunch and today there is a high of 44 degrees. Both of these bikes are from local people not dealers. Similar bikes at dealers have been in the $7000 range (which is stupid). I ran a search on Clycletrader and the cheapest FJR in the nation is around $4500 with over 70K on the clock. Granted that is from a stealer, but that seems just crazy. There is also an 08 for $4950 with 101,000 miles.

So that is my frustration when shopping for a bike. I know that good deals pop up. Seeing as I live closer to Canada than to any large US city I am either too far away, or too late to get the deal. I also have my Buell taken apart right now so I have no bike to ride. With gas at $4.30 I am almost to the point of picking up a scooter just so I don't have to drive my truck.

Anyway, All of the replies and advice is great. I shall keep looking. I will probably call the guy on the 03 and see if he wants to make me a smoking deal Sorry for the long post.

E

 

[erik425]

You might try cycletrader.com, although they are mostly dealers. I saw a couple '06's for around $6,500....one in Ohio, not too far from you.

Thanks, I think I saw that too. I was pushing my limit with $6000. Right now my only bike is a Buell Ulysses and I really want to add a sport tourer to the mix to see if I like it. If I do, I may sell both and buy a 2013 FJR. From what I have read and heard they have some great upgrades. The cost of a new bike is prohibitive right now though, and I don't think I can trade in my Buell in boxes

 

[Mihalis fjr]

Good luck...........